Nightmare
by Satiah
Summary: It was there, in his furious gaze: deep within those detestable eyes I hate so much. He saw me as useless. I saw him as immature. He was a spoiled brat, a child. And now, with Sasori-danna gone, he is my partner.


Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

...

_He stepped out of the woods confidently. His head held high, his steps sure, and his eyes—locked dead with mine. His gaze was powerful, cold, and calculating. I couldn't hold it for long._

_I looked away._

My body was in a dismal state of disrepair. My heart was in a similar condition. My partner, whom I had admired and looked up to for so many years, was gone. And he had been replaced by what? Some third-rate kid who couldn't even show his face to me? Some worthless lunatic, totally useless, and absurdly stupid? What was Leader-sama trying to pull? No partner could ever replace Sasori-danna! He had been too unique for that. But, this kid, hand-picked to follow in his footsteps…Leader gave me _this?_ This abomination to the ninja world? This piece of obnoxious filth? How was I supposed to work with _him_? He was devoid of any and all talent, and worst of all, he _never_ shut up.

_I heard him approach me, with those same deliberate steps. There was no falter as he crossed the uneven ground between himself and the place where I sat, exhausted. My breathing came in ragged gasps. I tried desperately to fill my lungs with air. _

_It was much harder than it should have been._

I felt nothing but anger and hatred. Most of it was directed at my worthless excuse for a partner. Why? Simply because he was there. He was the one trying to fill the gap in the organization left by Sasori-danna's death. He was the one trying to replace such a superior breed of ninja…he was totally out of his league. And he didn't even have an eye for art.

_His steps finally ceased as he towered above me. I knew what look he would have in his eyes. I knew it would be a look of cold, unfeeling disgust for having to witness such a pathetic sight before him._

_I couldn't bring myself to face him._

How was I expected to work with a partner who didn't appreciate art? Sasori may have had a funny definition of 'true art', but at least he understood the passion behind it. But this kid? He understood nothing. He could only stare at one of my creations, while simultaneously begging me for hours on end to make it move. _To make it move._ That was all he wanted. Like some child with a toy.

_I tried to say something—to justify myself, but my weakened voice broke. I couldn't even stutter out his name. My gasps for air turned into miserable, laughable sobs as I stayed there, bleeding, broken, beaten…_

_I couldn't move even if I tried._

The number of missions we went on, I cannot begin to count. There were far too many for me to care. And they were all the same. He would squeak and run, cowering behind anything large enough to cover him until the danger passed. And once I had taken care of our business, he would come out and prance around, as if he had reason to celebrate. I cannot even begin to express my hatred for that _thing_ I was partnered with. That gleeful, rude, obnoxious little piece of filth…

_He was disgusted, I knew. I cringed as he knelt down, forcing me to look at him. He grabbed my chin and made me look into his eyes. I tried my damnedest to not really look at him, but rather through him, knowing it was useless. His blood-red eyes overpowered and commanded mine, defeating my stubborn will. He forced me to see the fury and disgust behind his calm exterior. _

_Oh, how I despise those eyes._

But that was all before I knew. Before I found out about _him_. The true him. Not the one that squeaked and hid behind trees during a fight, not the one that chattered incessantly about pure nonsense at all hours of the night, not the one that bubbled over with irritatingly juvenile excitement, _oh no_. I mean the one behind that false exterior. The one lurking, unperceived in the shadows. The one bending reality, previously appearing only as a mirage…but how frighteningly real this "mirage" turned out to be. His eyes were so cold. I felt the lack of heat piercing through me, his gaze burying frozen barbs and steel tines deep within my heart, lodging in my inner self. The cold spread. I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't feel. Too cold…

_Those eyes held nothing but pure malice. Hatred for me. For the world. For everything. Pure, unchecked hatred. The force of his contempt froze me in place. I felt it burn throughout my body, searing my mind as it consumed me. He tore through my body with a mere glance. _

_How I hate those eyes._

But there was nothing I could do. That obnoxious twerp was completely gone. Gone. Replaced by something much, much worse. Something with a frighteningly hardened heart. Something angry. Something inexplicitly…evil.

I wanted to run.

_But I still couldn't move. _

Couldn't breathe.

_Couldn't cry._

Couldn't scream.

_Too hot._

Too cold.

_Searing me completely from the inside, consuming my senses with that overpowering white-hot heat._

Freezing my blood, constricting my veins, making me unable to do anything at all. Rendering me helpless.

_My muscles seized up._

My breath hitched.

_Panic._

Panic.

_Overwhelming. Frightening…terrifying. If only I—_

—could scream.

I screamed into the hollow darkness as I awoke, trembling violently in a cold, cold sweat. I gasped for air, gulped it down in an effort to come back to reality. My face was drenched, soaking my pillow, the salt mixing with the smell of fear. I looked about, terrified. It took forever for me to get my bearings, to realize it was only a dream. Just a dream.

It took longer for me to realize there was a hand on my shoulder, the grip solid and comforting. My head still buzzed with the leftover chaos from my dream. I couldn't hear clearly. Voices…voices everywhere. It took a great amount of effort to unravel my dream from the voice here, in reality.

Soothing. Quiet. Patient.

I calmed down.

I listened to the voice, let it guide me from my terrors. It told me I was going to be okay, everything would be just fine; no matter what happened, I wasn't alone. Even though Sasori-san was long gone, by Senpai's side would always be…

_Tobi_.


End file.
